Improvement in sewing-machines



E. E. SMITH & D. G. CHAPMAN. SEWING MAGHINE.

No. 44,982. Patented Nov. 8, 1864.

Z/zirzesses: Ina/anions- I I W @214 47M UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EARLE H. SMITH, OF HUDSON, NEW JERSEY, AND DANIEL C. CHAPMAN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN SEWING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 44,982, dated November 8, 1864.

To an whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, EARLE-H. Szurrn, of Hudson city, New Jersey, and. DANIEL C. CHAPMAN, of New York city, N.'Y., have invented certain Improvements in Sewing-Machines; and we do hereby declare that the 101- lowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompa nying dra win gs,.which form part of this speciiication, wherein- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine, with part of the bed or table shown in section. Fig. 2 is a similar view, showing the main operative parts in another position and Figs.3 and 4 show the operation and movement of the threads in various stages of'thelprocess of forming snccessi re stitches in performing sewing.

In the present state of the art of sewing by machinery there are two fundamental mechanical modes of actuating the needle and shuttle in executing sewing with those instruments. In one (the earlier mode) the said sewing-instruments are moved or operated, partly or wholly, by some form of 'what are known in mechanics as cams. Such arecalled camthose made by Howe and by Singer. In theother and more modern mode all the requiredmovements ot' the needle and shuttle are accomplished by various combinations of cranks and links. The latter are represented by the ma chines and improvements patented by E. H. Smith, May, 1858, and George Juengst, 1860, and are called crank-machines.

Our invention relates therefore to the crankmachines; and it consists in the arrangement and combination of crank mechanism in such a nianner as to produce certain relative movements of the needle and shuttle, whereby the threads in the process of sewing receive 21. peculiar manipulation, substantially as herein described, resulting in a more uniform seam, having the stitches laid in a right line, and requiring less strain in drawing in the stitch, reducing the liability of breaking threads, while the machine is simple in construction, certain in action, and cheaply made.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use our invention, we will proceed to describe the construction and operation thereof.

In the construction of our machine we empoint where the needle reciprocates,'as shown in Fig. 1.

At the lower extremity of the needle-arm a short link, O, is attached, connecting the needle-arm with a pitman, B. One end of said pitman grasps a wrist-pin, Gr, in the crank D on the driving-shaft E, and the other end of said pitman is slotted and slides over a wristpin or pivot, F, in the back part of the needlearm, as shown in Fig. 1. This is not shown in Fig. 2, as it would be simply repetition.

The shuttle is driven back and forth by a vibrating lever, I, moved by an eccentric, H, on the main shaft E, behind the crank D.

The crank and eccentric are fixed on the shaft E in the order of rotation represented, the shaft revolving to the left.

In the motions of the needle and shuttle produced by this arrangement and combination' of mechanism the shuttle, after taking the loop from the needle and passing through such loop, immediately begins to retnrn,sla ckingits thread, as seen in Fig. 1, while the needle, rising, completes its upward stroke during the return movement of the shuttle. The thread of the latter is now slack, and in the completion of the upward motion of the needle the needle-thread Ldraws a portion of the shuttle-thread above the cloth in the form of a small bightor loop, as seen in Fig.3. The needle now begins to descend, and the shuttle, continuingits return movement, completes the sameso far as to begin to draw on and straighten its thread N, as seen in Fig. 2, drawing down below the cloth the bight aforesaid before the eye of the needle,in descending,-reaehes the cloth. (See also Fig. 4.) Thus after every forward movement of the shuttle its thread is drawn above the cloth, and at each backward motion such thread is drawn below the cloth. This niode of alternately drawing on and tightening each thread, respectively, while the other is slack, has the important advantage of relieving the threads of all strain against each other in. tightening the stitch, as is the case in those machines wherein the needle and shuttle threads are drawn tight simultaneously. Moreover, in drawing on the threads in this manner one or more of the previous stitches are afiected incidentally, and the threads more readily assume the line of the seam than in the mode of sewinglast above mentioned, and the sewing is more uniform.

As a means of controlling the needle-thread above the cloth, we use any of the devices commonto the art, in the operation of which the thread is held under control till the needles eye reaches the cloth, and then released as the eye enters the clotl1,-as in Howes and Singers machines. Such other parts as are not described and shown-ms the pressurefoot, feed, &'e.-are the same in construction as in other similar machines.

Although we confine ourselves in prod ucing the above results to crank mechanism, as distinguished herein from cam mechanism, \vedo not, however, confine ourselves to the specific mechanism described, as that may be varied and modified without altering the invention, so long as the relative movements of the needle and shuttle remain'sueh as to manipulate the threadsand produce sewing in the manner stated.

\Ve claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent-'- 'lhc described combination and arrangement of mechanism, or the equivalent thereof, as set forth, wherein the movements of the icedle and shuttle are caused to take place with respect to each other, so as to manipulate the threads in' the manner and for the purpose specified.

EARLE H. SMITH. DANIEL-O. CHAPMAN.

Witnesses:

CALEB G-. Fn.1mois, Guo. PnY'roN. 

